A number of industries produce or make use of high pressure or high flow streams. These high pressure/flow streams may contain a significant amount of energy. Often these streams are of a lower quality or quantity such that energy recovery methods are not economically feasible. Consequently, these streams are often discharged and the potential energy of the streams is lost.
In addition to economic considerations, there may be a variety of other reasons why the recovery of energy from these streams is considered impractical. For example, the stream may contain contaminates that make energy recovery hazardous, such as explosive fluids or gases. Other streams may contain contaminates that may damage equipment through corrosion or abrasion.